Need help w/pheasant- if you own, plz help?

[ChooksChick]

Sooo...earlier today my husband called me from the backyard (on the cell!) and told me to come out very quietly.

I live in the middle of a town of 100,000- surrounded by busy streets and multiple highways, including an interstate, because I live in a huge college town, 8 blocks off of campus- KU.

There, in my neighbor's fenced backyard, was this:

What the heck?!?

So, anyone who plays with pheasants:

Would he be terrified of us if he was wild? He seems to ignore us as he paces. He has now gotten into our chicken pen that we aren't currently using and gets quite close to us as he walks the beak-clink path.

Is it possible for him to have gotten past many busy streets without assistance from a human? Unless he got here at 4 a.m., he'd have had to pass multiple 2 lane highways that run through town, and even at 4 a.m. there are always drunk students weaving the streets.

What the heck does one do with a pheasant in the yard? Is there any risk of disease to my home flock of chickens?

I have game feed, and he's enjoying it, but I'm not sure what to do with him.

What do I do to protect him from marauding raccoons tonight?

Thanks Easter Bunny!!

 

[Chickielady]

wow ! That is a cool gift !
He could have a few mites or something but looks healthy.
I would keep him seperate from the hens until you are sure he has a clean bill of health and even after that, he is a diferent kind of bird.
Sounds like he maybe came from a neighbor ?

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
That's the thing...there are a lot of us with chickens around here, but I can't imagine ANYONE with a pheasant!!

I'm befuddled.

 

[ChooksChick]

Okay, it's pacing in the pen still, but I'm not wanting to leave it there overnight. I can't 'let it go' because it would end up dead in the road.

What should I do with this lovely guy?

 

[leghorn dude]

simple looks like he needs some ladies

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Agh!

I know nothing about pheasants, other than that they'll likely enjoy the game bird feed I use for my chickens...

Does he roost?

Do they have horrid night vision like chickens and need lots of protection?

Is it likely he's a pet, since he's not freaking out when we come 5 ft away?

 

[Mahonri]

There is a fellow here on BYC that listed 100 pheasant chick females for $65. What a harem he'd have.

 

[ChooksChick]

Can no one tell me anything about caring for this pheasant or whether he's likely wild or owned?

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

Looks like a green mutant male. Beautiful bird!

Probably an escapee from someones aviary. Pheasants don't constantly crow or make noise like chickens, could be you got someone in the neighbourhood with pheasants and no one ever noticed(someone in town here had red goldens and their calls in breeding season were interpreted as some wild bird by the neighbours and no one ever knew).

They are pretty easy to care for. Mine don't necessarly roost at night but they do find something a bit off the ground to sleep on(the little duck hut for example). They are generally good with chickens, I only have had 1 male that isn't so fond of my bossy silkie roo but I would be too(that silkie roo is a pain some days).

Are your chicken pens covered with wire or netting? If not how tall is the fence? I have kept ringnecks(extra males) with my chickens in open top pens by clipping the feathers really short on one wing, without any trouble.
Most pheasants, esspecially ringnecks I found don't like to go indoors into coops or anything at night, mine always sleep somewhere outside either on the ground or on a perch(if one is available).

I would catch him(with a net, if you try to go up and just grab him he probably will just fly straight up and away), clip a wing and put him in a pen and get him a girl or two!

As for predators and night vision, pretty close to a chickens night vision I would say, but unlike chickens the smallest unusual sound will get them moving and pacing even if they can't see, chickens mostly stay put when its dark and let themselfs get eaten(had a grizzly break in at night and pick every single hen and roo off the roost and eat them, the turkeys and geese kept moving to avoid it).
Like I said they like to stay outside at night sometimes and if they are really difficult about going in at night get some netting across the top so that Owls and such wont pick off the bird.

hope this helps a bit, am no pheasant expert but have kept a few and enjoyed every bit of it.

 

[ChooksChick]

I did get this message last night and thank you for sharing all of this wonderful info with me.

I went out and looked to see where he'd chosen to sleep, and it was near a corner of the pen, nestled down in some leaves. He hissed as I neared. The fence is only 4' high, so he could have left, had he chosen.

We had a horrible, violent thunderstorm hit this morning, pea-sized hail and about 4 inches of rain in about an hour. It was still dark out, so I figured he was panicked.

I went out when the storm ended and he was gone. I hope he's safe!!

Thanks again for all of your help! I truly appreciate it.